Tomorrow Never Comes
by Kinkajou Karata
Summary: It has been three moons since the wolverine Gulo and his pack were defeated, and StormClan is just beginning to heal from their losses. Crowfeather hasn't yet recovered from his own loss, and his Clan watches helplessly as he begins to fade before their very eyes. And far away in a Twoleg nest, a kittypet has her first dreams about the gentle StormClan medicine cat.
1. Prologue: Fate

**Prologue: Fate**

The moon overhead beamed a bitterly cold light over the empty stretch of moorland. There were no trees to stop the wind as it swept over the cats that stood there. But only one of them had their fur fluffed up against the weather; the others, made of starlight, felt nothing but pity for the cat in front of them.

The cat looked up and shivered again. "If this is death, why am I cold? I thought the afterlife would be warmer than this."

One of the starry cats stepped forward, his magnificent golden pelt gleaming in the harsh moonlight. "This is only a dream, youngster. Your time hasn't come yet."

Rather than the relief that the starry cats had expected, the cat looked devastated. "Why? Wasn't it enough that I-"

"There's no need to bring it up again," one of the starry cats interjected roughly. His ragged pelt was close to bristling. "Imagine trying to throw away a perfectly good life."

"You don't know anything about me!" the cat spat.

"But we do." The new voice was soothing, and the cat looked up into startlingly blue eyes. "We've been watching you for a long time. And there's something we would like to ask of you."

The cat looked guarded. "You've been watching me? Who are you?"

"My name is Bluestar. I left this world many moons ago, but I watch over those I left behind. And they need help. I think you can be that help, if you so choose."

Something changed in the cat's eyes. Then they closed. "It's been a long time since I had a purpose," the cat whispered, barely above the howling wind.

A tom with a snow-white pelt came to stand beside Bluestar, his yellow eyes hesitant. "Just know that this isn't something to take lightly. There is no shame in saying no."

The cat was silent for many heartbeats. Then…

"Yes, I want to help."

The starry cats in the clearing all moved as though letting out a sigh of relief. "You don't know how much this means to us," Bluestar said softly. "We will never forget this."

The cat's eyes opened and met Bluestar's. There was only sadness there. "I should do at least one good thing before I die." And with that, the cat began to fade, out of sleep and into reality, until only the starry cats were left.

There was nothing but the howling wind for a moment. Bluestar's eyes were troubled. The white tom pressed his starry pelt against hers. "We've done the right thing. We have to think of the Clans - all of them."

"I don't know, Whitestorm." Bluestar let out a sigh. "I can't help but feel that I've done something horrible. That young cat should not be involved. I just don't know what else to do."

One of the cats flicked her ragged tail. "I wonder who StarClan can ask for mercy?" she asked scathingly before turning and stalking away. She needed no answer and she got none. The wind continued to howl.

* * *

AND WE'RE BACK! I have the overwhelming urge to apologize for how late this is, even though I was pretty vague about the release date so maybe I'm not late? Idk?

It's been a rough few months. I was super duper sick the entirety of October, and the stress of catching up with a month's worth of housework and school (I've been cramming so many German words in my head, learning past tense is hard!) has completely drained my motivation. But I've been rereading Warriors like a maniac and it inspired me to start back up!

I can't promise weekly updates since this is brand new territory for me and I'm still doing a lot of storyboarding. But I do promise to update as often as possible! This is a short update and I apologize profusely, haha! Hopefully you can all forgive me!

I'll also be steadily updating the allegiances through that same link on my profile, so check it out if you're ever confused about anything! And thank you so much for joining me on this new adventure :D


	2. Chapter 1: Where We Converge

**Chapter 1: Where We Converge**

_Another leaf-bare had passed. In the_ coming moons, the elders would recall it as StormClan's first in their new home. Warriors on the dawn patrol would shiver as they woke, but they would return to camp warm and limber, their paws buzzing with energy and optimism. It had been a mild leaf-bare; even Jayfeather had reason to purr, as his precious stores of catmint were recovering from the frost.

StormClan's medicine cat wasn't purring as he left his medicine den now. Crowfeather was surprised that his son had sought him out before the sun had cleared the horizon. Neither of them had spoken much during the cold moons. Crowfeather had tried once or twice, awkwardly, but his son had buried his grief deep inside, turning to his medicine work to keep himself occupied. No cat felt hurt when the blind tom occasionally lashed out with his sharp tongue; if anything, it made them miss Leafpool more, and the gentle bickering she and Jayfeather had shared.

Crowfeather's heart squeezed at the memory, and he pushed it away. "Is everything okay?" he asked gently.

Jayfeather didn't respond right away. His whiskers quivered in the morning breeze. "StarClan spoke to me last night."

Crowfeather was surprised. _Why are you coming to me instead of Rainstar?_ he wondered, but he didn't dare say the words out loud.

His son carried on. "It… It was Spottedleaf. She told me… that Leafpool had done so well, putting StormClan together and uniting us all. Even when she died, she united us by our shared grief. But now that… now that she's gone, we have to learn to unite ourselves."

For a moment, Crowfeather's grief was so sharp in his chest that they might have buried Leafpool yesterday. He remembered meeting her at the border stream between WindClan and ThunderClan, the deep love in her voice as she spoke about Spottedleaf, her StarClan mentor. He was lost in his thoughts for several moments before he realized Jayfeather's ears were pricked as though waiting for a response.

"I… I'm not sure what to make of it," he stammered.

"I'm going to share it with Rainstar to see what she thinks. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Crowfeather didn't like the way his son's voice had dropped to a whisper. Suddenly he wished some cat would interrupt them. "What is it?" he asked, reluctant to hear it.

"I didn't see her there. In StarClan."

Something in Crowfeather's stomach turned. There wasn't a chance that StarClan had refused Leafpool's spirit… was there?

"What if she-"

"No." Crowfeather's voice was firm. "You just didn't see her in your dream. That doesn't mean that she isn't there."

Jayfeather looked uncharacteristically meek. "Crowfeather, she broke the warrior code… You can't deny the possibility."

"If every cat that broke the warrior code was turned away from StarClan, we would have no ancestors to dream with," Crowfeather retorted. "If Leafpool doesn't belong there, then StarClan is stupid and cruel!"

Jayfeather flinched, and Crowfeather suddenly realized that his voice had grown loud and sharp. He rested his tail over his son's shoulders. "Thank you for telling me. But you don't have anything to worry about. If StarClan disapproved of our Clan - and how it came to be - they would have abandoned us long ago. They guided us here because they believe in us. And we have to believe in them."

For a moment, it sounded like Jayfeather was purring. But before Crowfeather could be sure, his son shrugged off his tail and twitched his whiskers crossly. "So you're done moping around, I guess?" he growled, sounding embarrassed.

Crowfeather forced himself not to flinch. Though Jayfeather was clearly trying to distance himself from the unusual tenderness between them, he had a point. In the moons following Leafpool's death, Crowfeather had hardly spoken to any of his children. He volunteered for every dawn patrol and hunting mission that would have him in a desperate attempt to distract himself from the empty nest in the medicine den.

Jayfeather flicked his tail at Crowfeather's silence. "You need to do more for Squirrelpaw and Ashpaw. They aren't grown like the rest of us are. It feels like they lost two parents instead of one."

Now it was Crowfeather's turn to be embarrassed. The last cat that should be giving him parenting advice was his blind medicine cat son. "I know, I-"

"If you know, then take them hunting," Jayfeather interrupted, sounding bored with the whole thing. "If I have to have this conversation with you again, I'm sneaking burdock into your fresh-kill."

Crowfeather grumbled to himself, but he caught a quick flash of amusement in Jayfeather's eyes before the medicine cat turned away.

"I'm craving shrew for some reason. Could you get on that for me? My paws are full with the mysteries of StarClan at the moment."

"Yes, O Medicine Cat," Crowfeather teased. As his son walked away towards Rainstar's den, there was movement at the warrior's den, and Swiftstep pushed his way through the entrance. Their eyes met, and Crowfeather still felt a pang of pity at the shadows that lurked in that amber gaze.

Crowfeather wasn't the only one whose heart was trapped in the past, he realized with a guilty thump in his chest. He hadn't even considered the possibility that Swiftstep could be hurting even more than he was. Tawnyblaze had died so quickly that there had been no time for them to share tongues for the last time, and at least Crowfeather had his children as the last echo of Leafpool's time in the world. Swiftstep had nothing but a grave, and he crouched there every evening after his warrior duties, sharing his meal alone in the cold.

_Great StarClan, how could I have been so blind?_

Crowfeather lifted his tail in greeting, and Swiftstep paused for a moment before heading his way, his paws slower as if with reluctance.

"Good morning," Swiftstep mewed, his voice hoarse as though he hadn't practiced using it. _It's possible he hasn't._

"Good morning," Crowfeather replied. He fluffed up his pelt against the sudden breeze that blew through camp. "Chilly morning, huh?"

Swiftstep flicked his tail, looking as awkward and uneasy as Crowfeather felt. _You dolt!_ He chastised himself. _I wouldn't want to talk to me either._

"Sorry," he muttered quickly, ducking his head. "I haven't… quite figured out how to talk to other cats again."

His fur burned at the words, but Swiftstep's eyes suddenly lit. "I know exactly what you mean," the black tom admitted, and he looked down at his paws just as Crowfeather did. "It's hard to know how to be alive when she's… not."

Claws pierced Crowfeather's heart. He could hear her now, the soft sigh as she died and the breeze carried her soul, gently, out of her battered body and into… where?

"Yes, I… I know exactly what you mean," Crowfeather muttered, feeling awkward. I don't know what else to say that he hasn't.

"Please answer me honestly, Crowfeather." Swiftstep let out a sigh, and he sat heavily as though his paws could no longer keep him up. "You and the other cats, you really seem to believe in StarClan. Is it real?"

"Absolutely." Crowfeather didn't hesitate. "And she's there now, Swiftstep. I promise. She'll never stop watching over you."

Swiftstep held his gaze for a moment and then dropped it. "I don't mean to be disrespectful. I know it's an important belief for you and some of the others. I just… I don't think I could bear getting my hopes up if it isn't true."

Crowfeather couldn't begrudge him that. "I would be like you, if I hadn't seen StarClan cats with my own eyes. They came to us not long after Leafpool and I left our Clans. One was the leader of ThunderClan who died before either of us was born. Another was my Clan leader who died when I was a new warrior. And there was also Leafpool's mentor. She was alive when we left the lake, and she had a crippled leg. But when she came to us after our kits were born, she was young and strong."

Swiftstep still wasn't looking at him.

Crowfeather flicked his tail over the older warrior's shoulders. "It's not for me to dictate your faith. I just hope you can believe me, for your own sake."

Swiftstep was quiet for a few more moments, and then he shook himself as though he were wet. "This sort of talk catches no prey," he meowed briskly. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm taking the apprentices hunting," Crowfeather replied. "Would you like to go?"

The black tom shook his head. "No, I think I'll go on my own for a bit. I think it would be best if you spent some time with just them." Swiftstep paused, then added, "It's not my place to say this, but I'm glad you're getting better. I would have given anything to have kits."

"It's not too late," Crowfeather stammered, hating the words the instant they left his mouth.

Swiftstep blinked slowly, then turned away. "It is for me," he sighed. "But thank you, Crowfeather. I needed this." Before Crowfeather could respond, the other warrior trotted away.

He let out a deep sigh. The sun was barely above the horizon and Crowfeather was already mentally exhausted. But he couldn't stop now. There was moons' worth of work to do.

* * *

Crowfeather's eyes didn't leave the rabbit as it snuffled through the tall grass, blissfully unaware that it was being hunted. He willed his paws to be still, knowing that this wasn't his catch to make.

Several tail-lengths away, Squirrelpaw's haunches began to wiggle, her green eyes bright with excitement. _Don't spring before your sister is ready!_ he pleaded with her silently, but there was no need; suddenly Ashpaw sprung from the undergrowth with a screech. Startled, the rabbit flung itself away from her claws…

… and directly into Squirrelpaw's.

"Got you!" the tabby cried, quickly giving the killing bite.

Ashpaw trotted up, her blue eyes warm with pride. "You were brilliant, Squirrelpaw!"

Her sister purred. "You drove it right into me!"

_Squirrelpaw almost jumped too early. Ashpaw must have seen that and made up for it by quickly changing her strategy and scaring the rabbit before Squirrelpaw could give them away._ Crowfeather couldn't hide his admiration as he joined them. "You both did very well. You make a great team," he purred.

Squirrelpaw's eyes lit at the compliment, but to Crowfeather's surprise, it was Ashpaw that looked away before he could read her expression.

"We had to learn to look out for each other," she growled. "It's not as though we had anyone else."

Crowfeather wished she had just clawed him instead.

As Ashpaw stalked away, Squirrelpaw glanced between them, her eyes as shocked as he felt. She dropped the rabbit and caught up to her sister.

"You didn't need to say that!" she exclaimed. "Crowfeather brought us hunting so he could spend time with us!"

Ashpaw flicked her tail dismissively. "Because Jayfeather told him to."

Crowfeather flinched. This was something he couldn't deny, even if he was shocked to the bone that it was Ashpaw voicing the criticism. No cat had ever felt the rough side of her tongue; foolishly, he had expected that the daughter who looked so much like him to have her mother's temper instead of his.

"Ashpaw… I'm sorry," he mewed. "You too, Squirrelpaw. I haven't done right by either of you. It isn't your fault that everything happened as it did."

"But it is!"

Crowfeather blinked in surprise as Squirrelpaw spoke up. She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead glaring down at her fresh-kill as though it were something she despised.

"I was up in that stupid tree instead of helping my mother, and look what happened!" she cried. "Leafpool is dead because I was a coward!"

Ashpaw stared at her littermate, her jaws slack. This was clearly the first time she had heard any of this, which was even more of a shock to Crowfeather. The two she-cats shared everything, just as Leafpool and Squirrelflight once had.

"Don't be silly." Crowfeather padded to her side and pressed his pelt against her. "You were protecting the kits. Could you imagine what would have happened if one of them had fallen out of that tree?"

Squirrelpaw shuddered.

"No cat is responsible for what happened," Crowfeather went on firmly. "Gulo is. And he's dead and buried. We'll always grieve for Leafpool, but now we're going to do it together, as a family." He looked up and met Ashpaw's cautious blue gaze. "I'm not hiding from it anymore."

Ashpaw looked conflicted, like she wanted to believe him, but instead she looked away. "Why have you been avoiding us for so long?" she growled. "What did we do?"

Crowfeather took in a deep breath, but before he could speak, Squirrelpaw interrupted.

"We remind him so much of our mother."

"Then that's all the more reason to want us around!" Ashpaw argued. "That doesn't make any sense."

Squirrelpaw shook her head. "No, I get it." She blinked warmly at her father. "He blamed himself as much as I did. He felt like..."

"... if I couldn't protect Leafpool when she was right in front of me, how could I possibly raise her kits alone," Crowfeather murmured. He sunk to the ground and laid his head on his paws, unable to remain standing as Squirrelpaw's words pierced his heart.

_Our kits aren't kits anymore, Leafpool._

Crowfeather felt warmth on his side as Squirrelpaw pressed her pelt firmly against his, and moments later, Ashpaw did the same.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Ashpaw nuzzled him. "Just don't let it happen again," she choked out after a few moments.

Squirrelpaw just purred even louder.

He breathed in his daughters' scents, and when his eyes were closed, it was like Leafpool was right there with him.

_I'm home._

* * *

The sun was just falling from its greatest height when Crowfeather and the apprentices returned to camp with their catches. Suddenly, something loud and heavy crashed on top of Crowfeather, knocking him to the ground and spilling his prey everywhere.

"What in StarClan's name, Lionblaze?!" Crowfeather growled, flinging his son off his back and shaking dust out of his pelt.

The huge golden tabby picked himself up, his enthusiasm completely undampened. In fact, it looked as though nothing could ever take the gleam out of those amber eyes.

"Crowfeather! It's Moonglow, she's expecting my kits!"

Taken aback, Crowfeather met his excited gaze for a few moments before he could process what he had said. "Kits?" he echoed. _My kit… is having kits?_

"I don't have to tell you how kits are made, do I?" Lionblaze teased.

"Eww!" Squirrelpaw cuffed her older brother with a paw. "Stop being gross!"

Lionblaze ducked under Squirrelpaw's belly and lifted her onto his back. "There's nothing gross about it, I'm going to be a father!" he boasted, carrying his sister around like she was still a kit begging for a badger ride. He caught Crowfeather's gaze, pride burning hot in his amber eyes, but as Crowfeather's silence stretched on, the look began to fade into uncertainty.

Crowfeather wanted to claw himself. _Say something, you fool!_ Quickly he stammered, "Kits are a blessing, Lionblaze. I'm proud of you."

Lionblaze's unease dissipated, and a purr rumbled in his chest again. He slid Squirrelpaw off his shoulders and flicked his tail toward camp. "Go ahead and take your fresh-kill to the elders," he told them. "I'm sure Purdy and Sparrowheart will appreciate a warm meal."

As the sisters bounded ahead, Lionblaze sat beside Crowfeather, his whiskers twitching. "I know you've been thinking a lot about my mother," Lionblaze meowed. "I have too. I wish more than anything that she could be here to meet my kits."

Crowfeather's heart thumped painfully, but for the first time in moons, the hurt felt like something he could stomach. His heart had shattered when Leafpool died, but the pieces were slowly coming back together - and these kits could only help.

"She's watching us right now," he purred, wincing internally at his hollow promise. "I know she's as proud of you as I am."

Lionblaze shot him a grateful glance. "I'm proud of you, too, you know. You've gone through a lot, but you're doing your best for us. It was good for you to take the apprentices out."

Crowfeather shook his head. "I've been a fool to neglect you all for this long."

"The past doesn't mean anything. What matters is what you're doing now."

With a jolt of surprise, Crowfeather realized that Lionblaze truly believed in what he said; his mate, Moonglow, had once worked with Duke, StormClan's first true nemesis. But the black she-cat had proven her loyalty time and time again, and Lionblaze was her first and most dedicated ally.

"Thank you, Lionblaze," he murmured.

Lionblaze nodded, but before he could speak, they both heard a shocked caterwaul from camp. Crowfeather exchanged a startled glance with his son, and then they took off, abandoning the fresh-kill in their haste to get back to camp.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when they exploded through the entrance. Squirrelpaw and Ashpaw were peering through the elder's den with wide eyes, and Jayfeather stood outside the medicine den, frowning and with his nose in the air.

In the center of camp, six cats stood facing Rainstar's den as the gray she-cat slipped out. Sunflash and Blazesong were at the back of the group, heads together as they muttered to one another in low voices. Stormtail and Breezepelt were at the head of the patrol, their tails lashing with either aggression or unease, Crowfeather couldn't tell.

It was the other two cats in the patrol that immediately caught his interest. He didn't recognize the she-cat, but the big tom stood in his memories, the sight of the thick gray pelt carrying him back to his apprentice days.

_It's impossible… _

But it was Ravenwing, the cat whose voice they had heard, frozen in shock outside of the nursery, that made the situation real by crying out:

"Graystripe! Is that really you?"

* * *

Yep, here comes my very favorite golden boy! I couldn't resist an opportunity to shoehorn him into one of my stories :D

Sorry for the wait; this chapter was a struggle for me to finish. Life got crazy on this end! My computer's graphics card went kaput, RIP. But my bf was cool enough to replace my entire computer and it's been so shiny and new that I haven't been able to resist playing games on it! (Overwatch and Skyrim at 60fps, yaaay!)

We've also had a good friend move in (who is coincidentally my bf's ex-wife LOL it's my favorite story to tell) so we've been adjusting to having a roomie. She's been awesome, and it honestly just feels like I'm having a sleepover with two of my best friends every day!

But that's enough about me, thank you all so much for checking in and following my story! I wanna do my best to make it a good one :D

* * *

**Duskspiral:** I'm glad to have you on board! :D Thank you for reading!

**Runereader of the Nightwings:** That's awesome to hear! ^^ It's still so surreal to hear that people really like what I write, it's so weird to me, haha!

**Shadowwolf1997:** It's good to see you again! :3 I'll try to treat Crowfeather more gently this time around, haha!

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd:** Thank you! And who knows who this mystery cat could be? Other than me of course :D


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